Embracing Fry Bread - by Roger Welsch (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

When he was out playing Indian, enacting Hollywood-inspired scenarios, it never occurred to the child Roger Welsch that the little girl sitting next to him in school was Indian. A lifetime of learning later, Welsch's enthusiasm is undimmed, if somewhat more enlightened. In Embracing Fry Bread Welsch tells the story of his lifelong relationship with Native American culture, which, beginning in earnest with the study of linguistic practices of the Omaha tribe during a college anthropology course, resulted in his becoming an adopted member and kin of both the Omaha and the Pawnee tribes. With requisite humility and a healthy dose of humor, Welsch describes his long pilgrimage through Native life, from lessons in the vagaries of "Indian time" and the difficulties of reservation life, to the joy of being allowed to participate in special ceremonies and developing a deep and lasting love of fry bread. Navigating another culture is a complicated task, and Welsch shares his mistakes and successes with engaging candor. Through his serendipitous wanderings, he finds that the more he learns about Native culture the more he learns about himself--and about a way of life whose allure offers true insight into indigenous America.

Review Quotes

"Though an anthropology scholar, Welsch is never pedantic or preachy. Instead, this is a heartfelt and very personal story, rich in wry and self-deprecating humor."--Deborah Donovan, Booklist-- (11/15/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"Welsch manifests himself as a listener who has spent fifty-five years involved in Native culture where he has made uncountable friends. His ability to write honest prose, both informative and erudite, captivates from the beginning."--Wynne Summers, Great Plains Quarterly

"Welsch's gratitude toward the Omahas and Pawnees is real, his outrage at their painful history is justified, and his story is proof that Native American culture is still alive and complex."--Kirkus -- (12/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"Welsch's natural warmth and skill as a storyteller, and his obvious respect for the individuals he encounters, come through clearly in his writing, and it's easy to see why so many people, from so many backgrounds, might be honored to call him "friend.""--Publishers Weekly -- (10/8/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"If it can be said of anyone who is not an Indian (Native American, American Indian) that he or she has the 'soul of an Indian, ' it has to be said of Roger Welsch. He offers the one thing that diverse groups of people, indeed the world, need to get along: understanding."--Joseph Marshall III, author of The Lakota Way: Stories and Lessons for Learning

-- (3/16/2012 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Roger Welsch is an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the author of more than forty books, including Touching the Fire: Buffalo Dancers, the Sky Bundle, and Other Tales and My Nebraska, both available in Bison Books editions.